In 2025, Yale University will offer a course exploring the musical career and cultural influence of singer Beyoncé. According to AP on November 12, the course, titled Beyoncé Makes History: Black Radical Tradition, Culture, Theory & Politics Through Music, will be led by Professor Daphne Brooks, an African American Studies scholar, and will begin in the spring.
The course will focus on Beyoncé’s work from her self-titled 2013 album to her latest release, Cowboy Carter, launched in March, analyzing how the artist’s music has influenced social and political ideologies. Professor Brooks previously taught a popular course at Princeton University on the role of Black women in popular music, which included Beyoncé as a key subject. Although the new Yale class will be small, Brooks anticipates significant interest in the topic.
In an interview with AP, Professor Brooks explained that she will use Beyoncé’s discography and live performances to guide students in examining the Black intellectual tradition throughout American history, from abolitionist Frederick Douglass (1818–1895) to Nobel laureate Toni Morrison (1931–2019). Brooks stated, “We will seriously consider the connections between the works of some of the greatest American thinkers and Beyoncé’s music, exploring how these philosophies can inform our analysis of her work, even as her creations sometimes challenge traditional Black radical intellectual thought.”
According to Brooks, Beyoncé stands apart by using her musical platform to raise awareness and inspire engagement in social and political movements like Black Lives Matter and Black feminism. Through her music, she reflects on racial and gender-based injustices experienced by the Black community over centuries in America, turning her songs into a repository of historical memory. “You won’t find this in any other artist,” Brooks affirmed.
Politically, The Guardian notes that Beyoncé has typically stayed out of politics but generates interest whenever she engages. She performed at both of former President Barack Obama’s inaugurations in 2009 and 2013 and recently allowed her song Freedom to be used by Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign in July. She also appeared at a rally supporting Harris on October 25 in Texas.
At 43, Beyoncé is among the world’s most successful artists, with over 100 million records sold globally. Her career is adorned with numerous awards, including Billboard, MTV, and American Music Awards. She holds the record for most Grammy wins, with 32 trophies and 99 nominations since her days with Destiny’s Child and The Carters (with Jay-Z). Forbes named her the World’s Most Powerful Woman in Entertainment twice, in 2015 and 2017. Beyoncé married rapper Jay-Z in 2008, and they have three children—Blue Ivy Carter, 12, and twins Rumi and Sir Carter, six.
Beyoncé is not the first artist to become a subject of study at the university level. Previously, universities offered courses on artists like Bob Dylan and Taylor Swift. In August 2023, the University of Arizona announced a course on Taylor Swift’s evolution in career, relationships, controversies, and personal growth. Additionally, the legal dispute between Swift and producer Scooter Braun has become a teaching subject in law schools across the U.S. and Canada, where professors hope her case can help young lawyers understand real-world legal complexities in the music industry.
